Tag Archives: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

1.The Artist: While it originally made its debut overseas in 2011, it wasn’t until January 20th of this year that The Artist actually made its nationwide debut in theaters across the U.S. Before then, only the lucky few at the big festivals got to see it. That being the case, it should be considered a 2012 release. So what makes it 2012’s best? So much could be said. At a time when so much of what Hollywood churns out is prequels, sequels, and remakes, this story—distributed by Sony Pictures—went the total opposite. How simple and ingenious is it to make a silent film in a movie of major flash-bang-boom films? Because the movie’s only sound is its music, viewers are forced to watch. And the cast was force to really put on its best possible performance, rather than rely on everything else that most movies use to distract audiences from poor performances. The music is quite enjoyable, too. And of course, the general cinematography is just as impressive. It all combines to make for a movie that any movie lover should see at least once.

2.Mirror, Mirror: Some of you might shake your heads at this pick. But the reality is that this is really a fun and family friendly movie. Both boys and girls will enjoy it as will parents. While young Lily Collins (the daughter of superstar Phil Collins) is billed as the lead star here, it’s the dwarves who are really the story’s stars. Their antics make for more than their share of laughs. Though watching Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer—The Lone Ranger) put under the evil queen’s puppy love spell is pretty funny, too. It’s obvious that this spoof of the classic fairy tale was aimed both at boys and girls. With its mix of wit and charm, it will always be one of the best takes on the old Snow White story.

Courtesy: Disney Studios

3. The Odd Life of Timothy Green: This is another truly enjoyable family movie. The general story is one to which any parent can relate and will enjoy because of that. Though the concept of what happens with Timothy might be a little bit tough to discuss with younger viewers. The beautiful backdrop adds even more warmth to the story. And the cast’s acting makes suspension of disbelief so easy. Sure it’s sappy, emotional, and all that jazz. But that can be forgiven as it’s such an original and heartwarming story.

Courtesy: 20th Century Fox

4. Skyfall: This is where things begin to get a little bit touchy. Skyfall is by far the best Bond flick to come along in a very long time. That’s not to say that the previous two were bad. But this one brought back memories of the old school James Bond that everybody knows. It’s got the gadgets and the humor and none of the melodrama that weighed down the previous two Bond flicks. The only downside to the movie is that it tends to drag in the final act. Other than that, it is a nice return to form for the Bond franchise and gives hope for any future Bond films….that is at least if Christopher Nolan doesn’t get his hands on the franchise.

Courtesy: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Video

5. The Avengers: The Avengers was a very nice way to cap off the build-up created by Marvel Studios with the recent bevy of comic book based movies. It had great special effects. Its story was simple and solid. And the shooting was equally impressive. Considering all the action going on, audiences weren’t left feeling dizzy to the point of wanting to walk out (or in the case of home release, just turn it off). But like so many ensemble cast movies, it suffered from a common problem. That problem was the movie’s run time. Most of the characters in The Avengers had already been introduced through their own separate movies. So there was no reason to re-introduce them all over again this time. A lot of that extra time could have been spared. Hopefully those involved have learned from that and will present viewers with a shorter movie in the second of the Avengers movies.

Courtesy: Warner Brothers Home Video

6. The Dark Knight Rises: I am just as much a comic book fan as anyone else out there. So it goes without saying that I was excited to see this movie. It did a good job of wrapping up the trilogy. The problem is that it did too much of a good job, as David Goyer and the Nolans tried too hard to cram everything into one movie. Word is that this latest installment of the Batman franchise left many people checking their watches when it was in theaters. It might have been better served to have been split up into at least one more movie because of everything added into the mix. And having what seems to be a lack of commentary on the new home release, fans can only guess what the logic was in cramming so much into one story. Much like The Avengers, the shooting and the special effects were great. So it has that going for it. But the writing was the story’s big problem. Here’s to hoping that whoever takes over the Batman franchise next (whenever it’s re-launched) won’t make the same mistake as Christopher Nolan and company.

Courtesy: 20th Century Fox

7. Prometheus: This semi-prequel to Ridley Scott’s hit Alien franchise was met with mixed reviews. There seemed to be no gray area here. Audiences either loved it or hated it. Truth be told, it worked quite well as both a prequel and as its very own stand-alone movie. Sure the special effects are different from those used in the original movies. But times are different. So viewers should take that into account. And the shooting was just as impressive. While it may not be as memorable as Scott’s previous works, at least audiences can agree that it’s better than the movies in the AvP franchise.

Courtesy: Universal Pictures

8. Les Miserables: This latest reboot of Victor Hugo’s classic story of love and redemption in one of history’s darkest eras is not bad. But it’s not great, either. Audiences who know the stage play will thrill at how director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and his staff of writers paid tribute to the stage play both in its writing and its shooting. At the same time, Hooper tried so hard to pay tribute with his shooting style and the transitions that the whole movie felt dizzying to say the least. The shooting and transitions felt like nothing more than a bunch of cuts from one shot to the next. There was never a total sense of fluidity anywhere in the story. It was almost as if despite staying true to the stage play, the script for this latest big screen adaptation was written by someone with ADHD. Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway did a superior job with their performances. But despite that, odds are that the movie will sadly be remembered more for its flawed shooting and transitions than for its award-worthy performances. Nonetheless, it’s still a good movie for any fan of Les Miserables or for fans of musicals in general to see at least once.

9. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is without a doubt an original story. It’s next to impossible to find anything like it out there or present. But it suffers greatly from an identity crisis. It doesn’t know whether it wants to be a drama, a romance, or a little bit of both. It’s nice to see the simple message of something as simple as fishing being able to bring the world’s people together peacefully. But it really seemed to let the romance factor get too much involved. As a result, it got bogged down in itself. Had it not had the romance subplot, it might have been better.

Courtesy: Lionsgate

10. Arbitrage: It was once noted that three factors more than any other are the causes of crime. Those factors are: money, power, and sex. Arbitrage has all three of these. It’s an interesting movie. And it definitely wastes no time noting the latter of the trio of factors, as it lets audiences know that Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is having an affair with another woman. And also, Miller’s boss has a very firm talk with him early on letting him know that he knows about the financial inaccuracies that he’s causing. It doesn’t take long to know where this story goes. It’s something of a tried and true story. Add in this critic’s pet peeve of movies, the “whisper scenes” and it makes for a movie that as good as it is it could have been better. For those wondering, the “whisper scene” is exactly as it sounds (bad pun there). The “whisper scene” is one in which actors essentially whisper throughout the scene against overpowering music to make the scene more emotional and powerful. But put against the sudden transition to normal volume scenes (and above normal volume scenes), it becomes rather annoying as one has to constantly change the volume on one’s TV as a result of that. It’ll be interesting to see if it gets the Golden Globe for which it was nominated.

There you have it folks. That is my personalist of the year’s ten best major motion pictures. You are more than welcome to share whether you agree or disagree and what your top 10 list would look like. 2013’s already shaping up to be an interesting year. As the movies start to come out, I’ll have reviews of them, too. To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141. Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Your Sister’s Sister is not for everybody. That needs to be noted right off the top of this new indie flick from IFC Films. The story’s summary tends to focus largely on the lead character, Jack as it opens with his brother Tom having died. The story doesn’t explain how Tom died. But that’s not important as it’s his death that leads to the story’s most basic roots. At its most basic roots, Your Sister’s Sister is exactly as the story’s title notes, a story about sisters. At the same time, one can’t help but note the similarities to Seth Rogen’s 2007 hit movie, Knocked Up.Your Sister’s Sister has been marketed largely as a romantic dramedy. But the reality is that the central story is that of the relationship between sisters Iris (Emily Blunt –The Adjustment Bureau, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), and Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt – Mad Men). The eventual revelation of the story between the pair is that while Hannah is a lesbian, she wants a child of her own. So she essentially sets up Jack. How she does that will be left up to viewers who have yet to see this movie. But when this is revealed, the crux of the story is also revealed, which is the seemingly hidden turmoil between the sisters. The problem is made worse because of something that Iris reveals to Hannah after Hannah finally admits to Iris what she has done and why. This is where the similarity to Knocked Up comes into play.

Unlike Seth Rogen’s character in Knocked Up, Jack (Mark Duplass – The League) was in the dark about Hannah’s plan, too. That is until the sisters return to the house after their alone time. The whole thing turns almost into an odd Jerry Springer episode as the story’s final moments play out, even leaving the story wide open for interpretation in a near Sopranos style close. Considering all of this, Your Sister’s Sister won’t appeal to everyone. But for those who are open minded enough, it’s a story that is worth watching at least once.

For a movie that is one more piece based on a book, one can only hope that the paper take on this story is better than the movie. Salmon Fishing in The Yemen isn’t the worst movie of the year. That *honor* belongs to Nichols Cage’s Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance. But it isn’t the best, either. It manages to sort of linger somewhere in the middle. That’s because it can’t seem to decide if it wants to be a romance or a satire on foreign policy by the British government. The plot of this movie starts off after the bombing of a mosque in a Middle East nation. Upon seeing it on the news, Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas) sets out on a PR campaign of sorts, in order to try and maintain ties between the Yemeni and British governing bodies. In looking for a way to build some sort of good will between the two bodies, Patricia stumbles on the salmon fishing idea proposed by Sheikh Muhammed (Amr Waked). Thus ensues what comes across as the seeming satire on the absurdity of political inner workings.

Had the story maintained its seeming political roots, it would have been a much stronger work. The problem is that it continued to tie in a romance story between Alfred (Ewan McGregor) and Harriet (Emily Blunt). The constant romantic interludes throw off the story’s pacing and do little to really advance the primary story any. It’s another classic boy meets girl-loses her-gets her back in the end romance. The addition of this storyline almost makes the story feel as if it’s suffering from an identity crisis. Though through all the romance, there is at least one bright moment. That moment comes as Alfred comes across as a little bit neurotic. He tells Harriet at lunch one day that he only drinks on the weekend, and he only drinks certain drinks. That makes him come across as at least slightly neurotic. Audiences who pay close enough attention will get a kick out of that.

For all the problems caused by the interweaving romance subplot, Salmon Fishing’s main political storyline is both moving and worth its own share of laughs. While the main story may not center on American issues, it’s one to which even American audiences can relate. The absurdity of political pandering is something that’s obviously universal. By contrast though, that something as simple as fishing could bring two men from two entirely different ethnic backgrounds and two entirely different sides of the world is a bold statement. It serves that much more to make all the political maneuvering of the world’s governments that much more pathetic. Sheikh Muhammed’s statement to Alfred makes that maneuvering that much more pathetic. He says to Alfred, “For fishermen, the only virtues are patience, tolerance, and humility.” He is saying in simple terms that a man can learn more of the world from fishing than all the political lessons combined. Sure, it’s a metaphor. But anyone who has ever gone fishing can vouch for this statement’s truth.

When it’s all said and done, Salmon Fishing in The Yemen proves to be anything but the year’s best movie. However, neither is it the year’s worst. But at a time when so many movie studios are relying increasingly on prequels, sequels, and remakes, all involved with this story get bonus points for taking the old school road and adapting a book to the big screen. For that matter, all involved get even more points for adapting a book with a largely original story, save for the romance. That being said, this is definitely one of the year’s most underrated movies. And it’s one that’s worth at least one watch.